Financial Literacy in CWS and SSH

Financial Literacy in CWS and SSH:

An OHASSTA-OHHSSCA Collaborative Project

Ontario History and Social Sciences Teachers'

Ontario History and Social Sciences Teachers' Association

Financial Literacy Lesson Plan CLU3M

Funding from the Ontario Ministry of Education

2011

Financial Literacy Law Lesson Plan 1- Careers in the Justice System CLU3M

Connections to Financial Literacy

personal financial planning such as budgeting, saving and investing;
understanding concepts of income, credit and borrowing, risks and rewards;
planning for the future: how to plan for life after high school.

Unit 5: Methods of Legal Inquiry and Communication / Law, Grade 11 CLU3M
Understanding Canadian Law

Curriculum Expectations

Learning Goals

Methods of Legal Inquiry and Communication

Use appropriate research methods to gather, organize, evaluate and synthesize information;

Explain, discuss, and interpret legal issues using a variety of formats and forms of communication.

Communication

Express opinions, ideas, arguments and conclusions as appropriate for different audiences and purposes, using a variety of styles and forms;

Use an accepted form of documentation;

Research

Describe career opportunities in the legal field

Also meets curriculum expectations for:
CLU3E, Methods of Legal Inquiry and Communication
Research

describe career opportunities in the legal field (e.g. bailiff, correctional officer, court clerk)

CLN4U, Methods of Legal inquiry and Communication
Research

identify various career opportunities in the legal field (e.g., paralegal, community legal worker, criminologist)

/ At the end of this lesson, students will:

Understand the importance of planning for the future;
Use research to inform choices regarding career opportunities;
Identify relevant financial knowledge necessary for career planning;
Effectively communicate the results of their inquiry.

Instructional Components and Context

Readiness

This lesson is appropriate as an independent lesson that can be integrated at anytime throughout the course. The students require basic mathematical skills and computer literacy for the Minds On and Action components of the lesson. Students also need to be familiar with format of resource documentation.

Terminology

debt, budget, tuition, diploma, degree, graduate/undergraduate/postgraduate

Materials

Minds On handout – one per student (BLM 1.1 -So…. you want a career in the justice system?)

Access to computers – one per student.

BLM 1.2 - Considering a Career in Justice – one handout per student

BLM 1.3 Exit Card

Possible Extension Materials: CBC News in Review, February 2009, Credit and Canadians.
Minds On
Establishing a positive learning environment
Connecting to prior learning and/or experiences
Setting the context for learning / Connections
Explicitly label:
Assessment for learning
Assessment as learning
Assessment of learning
Explicitly identify planned differentiation of content, process, or product based on readiness, interest, or learning

Teacher distributes “So…You want a career in the justice system” handout (BLM 1.1). Read the beginning together and then allow the students some time to consider the brainstorming question. Allow two –three minutes and regroup as a full class.
Students may work independently or in pairs for this activity. Allocate 10-15 minutes. Ask students to consider the following questions for each example: Knowing the cost of each scenario, would you be willing to pursue this career? Why? What factors would influence your decision? What information do you still need to make a decision? This discussion may be conducted informally as a large group or within small groups. Teachers may wish to use a round robin technique to ensure that each group member has an opportunity to express their thoughts.
Teachers should guide discussion to primary learning goals: “We know that we need to do more research to evaluate and make decisions regarding a career in the justice system. Our next activity will help us to investigate potential job opportunities.”

/ Assessment for Learning

Teacher can determine interests, existing knowledge and skills

Assessment as Learning

Students reflect on own learning and determine future learning needs

Action!
 Introducing new learning or extending/reinforcing prior learning
 Providing opportunities for practice and application of learning (guided > independent)
Independent Research Activity

Teacher distributes BLM 1.2 Considering a Career in the Justice System. Read through the assignment together to ensure understanding of expectations and success criteria. Instruct students to review rubric before commencing computer based research
Provide students with access to computers. Time allocated at teacher discretion. Recommended time would be 75-150 minutes.
When students have finished their research and prepared their product, they will need an opportunity to share their findings with their peers. This is an informal presentation intended to develop presentation skills and gain immediate feedback from teacher and students. Allocate approximately 35-45 minutes for this portion of the activity.
Students should submit final product including bibliography.

/ Differentiation is achieved through:

individual choice of career
final product format

Assessment for Learning

Teachers monitor student progress towards achieving overall and specific expectations
Frequent and on-going manner

Assessment of Learning

Evaluate student learning on basis of established criteria
Communicate achievement results to students

Consolidation
 Providing opportunities for consolidation and reflection
Helping students demonstrate what they have learned
Group Discussion and Individual Reflection (Exit card)

Conclude the presentation component with a discussion that resembles the Minds On discussion. “Do we have the answers to the questions that we asked? Can we now make an informed decision?” Teachers might wish to ask students to consider the changes in their opinions. For example: What careers would they now consider that they would not have considered prior to this research activity? Why? How great a role does money play in your decision-making? What aspects attracted you to a particular job? Which job seems less attractive now?
Teacher should handout exit card. Students will need 5-7 minutes to complete card.

/ Assessment as Learning

Students monitor their own learning and reflect upon their progress towards achieving their learning goals

Assessment for Learning

Teachers can plan for future instruction

BLM1.1

So…. you want a career in the justice system?

The diverse nature of law allows for the pursuit of a variety of individual interests within the larger field of justice. Careers such as police officer, lawyer, paralegal or legal assistant come quickly to mind. You might also consider a career as a forensic scientist, criminologist, probation and parole officer, environmental compliance specialist, correctional officer or as a youth worker. What other careers do you think link to the study of law? Take a moment to brainstorm with a friend.

Pursuing a career requires some research. Consider the information below for a moment. (2011 dollars)

Approximate living costs per year $12 000 – $14 000

Undergraduate tuition per year $ 5700 - $ 9500

Tuition for law school per year $14 000 - $16 000

Paralegal Program (23 courses @ approx $418.00) $ 9600 - $12000

Licensing Fees – Paralegal $ 1200 - $ 1500

College tuition per year for diploma program $ 3300 - $ 5000

Licensing Fees – Lawyer $ 2400 - $ 3000

Imagine:

1)You want to be a Forensic Scientist. That will mean 4 years of undergraduate studies. Calculate your tuition and living costs for the years of study.

2)You want to be a paralegal. It will take at least one year. Calculate your living expenses, tuition and cost of licensing to achieve your goal.

3)You want to be a court clerk. You will need a college diploma to begin your career training. Calculate the costs of two years living expenses and tuition.

4)You want to be a lawyer. You will need to complete an undergraduate university degree (3-4 years) and three years at law school. Calculate living expenses and tuition for all seven years.

Now that you have your totals, consider the following:

As a youth in Ontario your salary for your part-time job is likely in the range of minimum wage which is currently $9.60 ( ).

Calculate the number of hours you would have to work to earn the amount of money you will need to pursue the careers listed above.

Career / Total estimated cost of education & living expenses / Total Cost divided by minimum wage ($9.60) = hours required / Total hours divided by 20 will give you the approximate number of part time weeks you will need to work

BLM1.2

Considering a Career in Justice

Learning Goals:

To identify and explore law-related careers
To use research to inform choices regarding career opportunities
To identify relevant financial knowledge necessary for career planning

Scenario:

You work for a consulting company that has just been hired to help provide information to the public about career opportunities in the justice system. This information is intended for young people and maybe conveyed to the audience in a variety of possible formats.

Role, Audience and Format:

For this task, the audience has been pre-determined. To continue, first, select a career you would like to explore. Then, consider possibilities for presentation format. It is suggested, however, that you conduct your initial research prior to finalizing your format choice.

Role (Career Choice) / Audience / Format

Police office
Lawyer
Court reporter
Parole officer
Crime scene investigator
Paralegal
Court clerk
Victim services worker
Environmental compliance officer
Forensic scientist
Child and youth worker
Corrections officer
Security officer
Alternate career choice with teacher approval

High school students and their parents attending a career fair exploring law-related career options

Power Point or Prezi show
Brochure
Flip Book
Booklet (like a new drivers book)
Comic book
Other – upon teacher approval

Topics:

Your product should contain accurate information on the following topics:

Job description (role and responsibilities)

Estimated salary

Required education and cost of that education at a Canadian institution

Potential Employers (who might you work for?)

Whether pension contributions and/or benefits are included?

Volunteer experience that might be useful in pursuing this career

Positives of this job

Challenges associated with this job

Skills or personality traits that would help someone be successful at this job

Suggested locations tin your get more information on this career (websites, community organizations, contact numbers, etc.)

Questions someone seriously considering this career might want to ask in order to make an informed decision about it

Success Criteria:

No matter which career and format you select, your product should:

Appeal to the target audience
Look like a “good copy”
Have visual appeal
Contain complete and accurate information
Present the information in a logical or organized manner

Also:

Accurately document research by including a bibliography of all sources used
Be prepared to informally present or share your product with the class

Assessment and Evaluation:

Your final product will be assessed and evaluated using the following criteria:

Criteria / Level 4
80% -100% / Level 3
70-79% / Level 2
60-69% / Level 1
50-59%
Knowledge & Understanding
Product illustrates knowledge & understanding of career /

Demonstrates a thorough knowledge & understanding of career

Demonstrates a considerable knowledge & understanding of career

Demonstrates some knowledge & understanding of career

Demonstrates limited knowledge & understanding of career

Thinking
Employs critical thinking skills to address:

Challenges and benefits of career
Questions to further knowledge of career
Skills/personality traits suitable for career

Employs critical thinking skills with a high degree of effectiveness

Employs critical thinking skills with considerable effectiveness

Employs critical thinking skills with some effectiveness

Employs critical thinking skills with limited effectiveness

Communication
Expression & organization of ideas, proofreading & editing.
Accurate format used in Bibliography /

Communicates information with a high degree of effectiveness

Communicates information with considerable effectiveness

Communicates information with some effectiveness

Communicates information with limited effectiveness

Application
Design and layout of information (visual appeal, logical, organized format)
Format and style are suited to audience /

Highly effective design, layout & format

Considerably effective design, layout & format

Moderately effective design, layout & format

Marginally effective design, layout & format

Comments:

BLM1.3

EXIT CARD

Are there any careers in law are you interested in pursuing in the future? Why or why not?

What role does money play in your decision making?

Do any career choices seem less attractive to you now that you know more about them?

EXIT CARD

Are there any careers in law are you interested in pursuing in the future? Why or why not?

What role does money play in your decision making?

Do any career choices seem less attractive to you now that you know more about them?